Wet N Wild Navy SEALs

by Tawny Weber

  He needed a weapon. He had been too distracted to grab one off one of the guards. Stupid! He’d let this woman get to him and the mistakes he’d made almost got them killed. SEALs were trained not to be distracted or lose focus. Time to start thinking with the right head.

  Jack knew who waited for them at the top of the stairs. The Amazon wouldn’t be happy with him or Darci, and judging by the furious expression on the man at the bottom of the stairs he wasn’t either.

  The resemblance between the Amazon and the blond glaring up at them was uncanny and added to Jack’s unease. A brother and sister team? Not uncommon, but rare. He couldn’t decide which was the dominant personality; both seemed equally strong. One of them would show their flaw and he would know which to target in order to break the ring. History and experience showed that once he severed the head of the dragon, the rest would crumble.

  “Jack?” Darci pressed against him. He could feel her trembling and wanted to comfort her, but three people appeared at the top of the stairs. The Amazon’s deadly gaze landed on Darci so he shifted slightly to protect her.

  “You two have caused quite a bit of trouble for me,” the Amazon said, her eyes on Darci.

  “Yeah, well, I’m just getting started.” Jack watched her eyes narrow into slits.

  “You have a smart mouth,” she said. “I have a cure for that.”

  He could only imagine what she had in mind, probably cut out his tongue with a nail file. Not going to happen. Beside him Darci stiffened and her grip intensified on his hand.

  “Let me guess, something slow and painful?”

  The Amazon smiled, calculating and feral. “Very, very slow, and the pain will make what we did to you earlier seem like a walk in the park.”

  “Jack! Stop!” Darci pleaded. He couldn’t tell her his plan to keep the Amazon’s anger focused on him instead of her. He could handle whatever she dished out, but Darci would never survive it.

  “What’s this? She speaks. And in your defense,” the Amazon said. “Does she belong to you, hero?”

  “I don’t belong to anyone,” Darci snarled over his shoulder. “What do you want from us?”

  Jack groaned inwardly. She was not helping.

  “You have something I want,” the Amazon said.

  “What?” Darci asked.

  She motioned to the guards. Jack shielded Darci with his body as they were approached from in front and behind. He couldn’t fight all of them and still protect Darci, so they had no choice but to go along with them. Two of the guards grabbed him and Darci cried out, clutching at him as they jerked him away from her.

  “No!”

  One of the guards he’d knocked out slammed a fist into his midsection. Jack grunted and fought to catch his breath. Paybacks sucked.

  “Stop hurting him.”

  The brother bore down on Darci.

  Jack lunged toward her as the guy backhanded her. The crack of his hand meeting her soft flesh echoed down the stairwell and Jack saw red. He ducked, lashed out a foot when the Amazon put a stop to it with one short order.

  “Stop or she dies.”

  The threat registered and Jack forced down the animal inside him. He went still, controlling the beast.

  “Take them away.”

  Jack’s eyes were trained on the tears swimming in Darci’s eyes. She cupped her cheek, glaring at the blond man who’d hit her. An angry red bump formed where he had struck her. The animal inside Jack reared its head again. He managed to keep it at bay, but barely. He was doing a poor job of protecting her.

  When she looked at him, he saw regret and sadness in her eyes that almost severed the bare threads of his control. He never wanted to see that look again. She realized her mistake by not following the plan. Jack longed to pull her into his arms and comfort her. But he couldn’t do either as they jerked him backward through the door, away from Darci.

  Unwilling to lose sight of her, he looked back over his shoulder to see her being led behind him. Their eyes met and Jack winked at her, pleased when she frowned and gave him a watery smile. Atta girl.

  They were taken to a room similar to the one he’d been hung in, their hands secured to the arms of chairs, their ankles firmly tied, and rope circling their waists. Only the guards watched over them; the blond duo had yet to show.

  He turned to look at Darci and saw fear shining in her eyes. He wanted to reach out, but couldn’t while bound.

  “Relax.” He said in a low tone. “We don’t know what they want from us.”

  “But what if they want money? I only have five hundred dollars in my savings account.”

  “Shhh,” he whispered. “If that’s what they’re after I have some money saved and…” He trailed off, not liking what he needed to say next. He’d never asked Wally for anything but to be good to his mother and he didn’t want to rely on him now, but he knew that if he needed it Wally would give it without question. It just wasn’t in Jack’s nature to ask for things.

  “I can cover whatever demands they make, just leave it up to me, okay?”

  “You’d do that for me?” She kept her voice a bare whisper. The guards behind them issued a warning.

  Jack grinned. “In a heartbeat.”

  Tears slid down her cheeks, yet she smiled.

  “Do you always cry when you smile?” he teased.

  She laughed quietly and he felt an odd pressure build inside his chest.

  “I want to kiss you, Jack Taggart.” Her smile faded. Something passed between them and he knew his life would never be the same again. This stunning Celtic singer changed everything.

  “How about over Braciole and the best cannoli you’ve ever tasted?”

  “Are you asking me out on a date?”

  He grinned. “As soon as I get us out of this I’m taking you to Demarco’s, the best Italian restaurant in the world, and treating you to the finest dinner you’ve had in your life. And I promise, I will get us out of here.”

  Darci believed him. “It’s a date,” she whispered as the door opened and she caught a whiff of heavy cologne. Cologne that nauseated her and made her want to run far, far away. She knew exactly who had walked in.

  “Jack?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m scared.”

  His eyes softened to a caress as they held hers. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Stay strong, you’re doing great.”

  “How do you do it? How do you shut it off?”

  Something flickered across his face she couldn’t read. “It’s a survival mechanism. You have it too. You just have to learn how to use it.”

  Darci wondered how a person would go about doing that but she didn’t get the chance to ask. “He’s here,” she whispered. “Heath.”

  “Stay calm, he’s not the one in control. He won’t do anything without his sister’s approval.”

  “Sister?”

  “The blond woman.”

  Darci felt the color drain from her face. “She’s going to come for us next.”

  “Yes, but we won’t go down without a fight, will we?”

  We. She liked the sound of that. It made her feel less alone. Right now she needed that, because she felt very cut off from the rest of the world. She missed her family more than ever and wished she had gotten home to see them more often. Now it may be too late.

  But Jack was right. She wouldn’t give up. She’d do whatever it took to get home to her family. And when she did, she’d make some changes. The first being to spend a week with her parents, the next a week with each sister.

  “Enough chit chat.” A voice from behind her caused her to flinch. She didn’t even like being close to this guy.

  Two hands landed on her shoulders and began massaging the knots there. Darci tried to pull away but her restraints kept her in place.

  “You’re all knotted up.” Heath’s fingers slid lower over her shoulder until they grazed the top of her breasts. Darci gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut as the guards snickered behind them, obviou
sly enjoying the show. “I can help you with that.”

  Not in this lifetime, pal. No way she’d let him get his hands on the rest of her.

  Heath leaned closer until his lips brushed her ear. “I can get rid of this tension for you if you give us what we want.”

  Darci didn’t actually see, but sensed that Jack had grown very still and slipped into lethal mode again. She didn’t understand it, didn’t know how to describe it, but she knew Heath had sent him there. She didn’t want Jack getting hurt because of her again. Glancing at Jack, she stifled a gasp when she saw the way he stared at Heath. His jaw clenched so tight she could see a muscle twitching.

  She willed Jack to look at her, but his eyes remained focused on Heath, and she knew if he hadn’t been tied to that chair he’d be leaping up in her defense. Clearly, he didn’t like Heath touching her.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  “Besides you, your necklace. You already know that.”

  Jack wanted to punch the guy in the face. He didn’t like seeing his hands on Darci. He hated seeing her flinch and wanted to grip Heath by his scrawny neck until he let go, but he was tied to this damn chair, which really ticked him off.

  It would be over Jack’s dead body that this guy would get Darci. This bastard would have to get his jollies from someone else.

  Time to tip the scale in his favor. He had two lives to save.

  “Hey, Blondie, are you sure your sister doesn’t want her for herself?” Jack’s eyes dropped to the necklace hanging around Darci’s neck. Intricate, but it didn’t look worth dying over. All this over a necklace that looked older than all of them combined? But if they were after it then he’d do everything in his power to keep it safe.

  Heath’s head lifted, his smile gone. His pale eyes flashed with anger. “What did you say?”

  Jack scoffed. “You know as well as I do that your sister runs the show. You can’t have her.” He nudged his head toward Darci as if she were nothing more than a slab of meat. “Unless your sister gives you permission. Come on, we both know the score.”

  His jibe had the desired effect, but backfired when Heath’s fingers dug into Darci’s shoulders and she winced, casting an uncertain glance at Jack. He didn’t look at her, though he wanted to, but he had to do this.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Heath snapped.

  “You know I do. I see what’s going on here. She’s the leader of this operation and you’re her lapdog. It’s clear to see. She says jump, you say how high.”

  Jack prepared for the blow that didn’t come. Instead, Heath turned to one of the guards and ordered him to cut the ropes securing him. Even better.

  As the guard moved to Jack’s side to do his bidding, Heath said, “I’ll show you who’s in charge around here.”

  Oh, yeah, eating right out of his hand. Jack couldn’t have planned this better if he tried. Cut those ropes, buddy, you’ll be the first to go down.

  “Watch him,” Heath cautioned as the ropes fell off his ankles. The guard cast him a wary glance as he straightened and started on the ropes around his wrists. Jack sent him a careless grin and prepared to strike.

  He waited until the ropes were cut before leaping into action, threw an arm around the guard’s neck and confiscated his weapon. Using the guard as a shield, he rose to his feet, a reckless grin on his face as he faced the other two.

  “Well, well, looks like we’ve got ourselves a little situation here, don’t we?” he drawled. “If shots are fired it’ll bring Eva in here and your little lesson will be over before it even started, won’t it Blondie? Tell your dog to toss his weapons over here.”

  Indecision warred in Heath’s eyes and Jack almost felt sorry for the poor sap. Then he remembered how he’d touched Darci and the feeling passed. A second later, Heath ordered the guard to do it and an AK-47, a blade and a pistol were tossed at his feet. Jack flexed his fingers around the AK-47 and almost groaned at how good it felt.

  “Cut her loose, Blondie, and no funny stuff or I put a bullet in your brain.”

  “How do I know you even know how to use that?” Heath nodded toward the weapon.

  “Shall we find out? I’d be more than happy to demonstrate.”

  He was smart, Jack would give him that. Instead of risking his sister’s wrath, he bent down, picked up the knife and cut Darci’s bonds.

  Jack waited until she stood safely behind him. “You two, stand against the wall.”

  Heath and the guard moved reluctantly to the wall while Darci pressed against Jack’s back. He could feel her trembling.

  “Pick up those weapons, sweetheart,” he instructed, hating to ask, but left without a choice.

  She did as he asked, uncertainty in her eyes. She held the weapons as if they were poisonous snakes, but didn’t let go and stepped behind him again.

  In one swift move Jack knocked the guard out and slid him down to the floor without taking his attention off the other two. He took the knife from Darci.

  “Tell your sister it’s been fun but we had to go.” He grabbed Darci’s hand and hustled her out the door.

  Of course it couldn’t be that easy. Jack managed to get to the first guard before he could get a shot off, but not the other. He knocked the weapon out of guard number one’s hand and slammed the butt of his AK-47 into his face before the other knew what was happening. They hadn’t been expecting the prisoners to walk through the door.

  Darci picked up the slack. She raised her weapon and brought it down on the guy’s head with a loud crack that brought him to his knees, providing Jack with the time he needed to finish the first one off and move to number two.

  He didn’t have time to shelter her from the two that came bounding through the door in pursuit. Heath hit Darci head-on and tackled her down to the ground, wrestling with her for the weapon while Jack defended himself.

  To her credit, she didn’t give it up easily and fought like a mad woman to get free. Jack tried to keep an eye on her and take care of the guard at the same time, and received a painful blow to the chest for his efforts. He retaliated with an upper cut to the chin and heard Darci scream behind him. By the time he freed himself and turned, Heath had slung her over his shoulder and carried her away with Darci fighting the entire way.

  Oh, Sweet Mary, someone pounded nails into her forehead and they were really good at it. Her head hurt worse than any hangover.

  She was lying on a comfortable bed that much she knew.

  She remembered being tackled and slung over Heath’s shoulder. A needle injected into her arm seconds later and everything going black. Whatever Heath shot into her had given her a splitting headache and made her limbs feel like wet noodles.

  Jack. Oh, God, where was Jack? Darci’s eyes flew open and she looked around for him, but found the room empty. Fear shot through her when she saw she laid spread eagle on a full size bed with her hands and feet tied by ropes to the bedposts. Her dress had ridden up on her thighs, making her feel very exposed. She knew darn well who’d done it.

  He probably liked it, seeing her tied up and helpless. She tugged on the bonds to no avail. They held tight, just as she knew they would, but she had to try anyway. Jack, where are you?

  An image of him hanging from the ceiling, bruised and battered, ran through her head and she ruthlessly chased it away. Jack had proven to be one tough customer. Whatever they did to him, he would survive it. He didn’t give up and he didn’t give in. She’d never met a man like him before. He wasn’t like any of the men she’d dated.

  Usually she chose men that were more like her, interested in music, liked to go to festivals and concerts and liked to have a beer, a good time, uninterested in anything serious. Her lifestyle embraced chaos and a busy schedule; she didn’t have time for a serious relationship. The band toured, especially in the summer, and she hadn’t worked the wanderlust out of her system. She didn’t want to give up her life for a man. She loved the traveling, the chaos. It kept life exciting, though this trip ma
de her have second thoughts about traveling abroad.

  Glancing down at the ropes circling her ankles, she let out a long sigh. Poor Grammy would roll over in her grave if she knew the trouble the heirloom was causing Darci.

  The door handle rattled and she stiffened as Heath walked in, alone. Not a good sign. She didn’t want to be alone with him. His interest in her was obvious and she had no desire to see how far he would take it. If he decided to take advantage of her she would have to stop him, somehow, trussed up like this.

  She needed a weapon. Something she could cut these ropes with so she could defend herself. As much as she wished for Jack she had to keep a clear head and find a way out.

  Heath stood at the foot of the bed and stared down at her through eyes that gave her the creeps.

  “What did you do with Jack?” She ignored the way he stared at her chest.

  “You know, this would have been easier if you’d handed over the necklace before the authorities arrived.” Heath took no notice of her question and sat on the bed next to her. “I wouldn’t have had to tie you up if I thought you’d hand it over. Hold still, darling, and tell me how to get this off. Then we’ll have some fun.”

  Not in this lifetime. “You kidnapped me for my necklace?” she asked. “Why? It isn’t worth anything.”

  Heath scoffed, reaching for the sturdy silver chain. “Don’t insult me, darling. I’m a collector. This necklace dates back to the druids. It’s worth a fortune and you know it.”

  His hands slid the necklace around so the clasp rested on her chest. He couldn’t be lying, because he was right. The necklace was worth a fortune, but it meant more to her than money and she refused to give it up.

  After a couple minutes of fiddling with the clasp Heath sat back and let out an annoyed breath. “What kind of clasp is this?”